Sounds like Wichita St to the AAC... Who gets an Invite?

[uniftw]

Not ideal but think forward and let the Football schools go.

UNI and IL State to the MAC - move Toledo to the East and IL State and UNI slot into the West

SIU and MSU - to the Sun Belt

Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Loyola and IN State (drop football) try to add three of these four schools as new members /// Belmont (Nashville), UNK (Extended Cincy), Wright State (Dayton) and Valpo (Extended Chicago). Alleviates the football / basketball split. Travel is reasonable - furthest north (Loyola) / south (Belmont) / east (Wright State) / west (Drake)

Lots of variables:

Maybe MAC doesn't want to go all the way west to Iowa then maybe SIU joins the MAC which likely puts UNI in the Summit with the Dakotas.

UNI is already in the MAC as an affiliate member. There are a few reasons UNI moved wrestling to the MAC when they did (2012). The WWC was starting to hit a bad spot for bids. A B12 invite looked bleak. The MAC approached Mizzou - who had just left the B12 for the SEC and needed a wrestling home - and UNI.

It's pretty well known that UNI and MAC have had pretty informal discussions about many things regarding the future. The relationship between the two has been fantastic. Given UNI's athletic department, should a nuclear option be triggered there could be a home there. The Summit is a non-starter for UNI. Jake makes more than all the other Summit coaches combined (yes, that is an exaggeration but likely not by as much as gut reaction would be)

[nafstrops]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/co ... story.html

Illinois State student fee contributions.

[uniftw]

3 were at-large. Though a couple others probably could have been (definitely 2015).

I do think you're kindof seeing UNI is on the 4-year cycle though. Which is a great thing if there are several teams like that in a league. Got an extra bid out of the last cycle, but I don't really see the roster lining up very well for this next one. Time will tell.

I get where you're coming from. There is a cycle process to UNI's recruiting class, and imbalances. That is something that is frustrating to many UNI fans. It forces UNI to play UNI a ton of freshman every few years and creates unbalanced classes. 4 seniors (would be 5 if Wyatt didn't get his medical). There will be 1 junior next year that plays (Wyatt). There will be 6 sophomores (4 RS and 2 that played as true FR). 1 that will be a freshman (RS) and likely 2 incoming freshman.

Maybe it's my bias, but i truly think that Wyatt's injury really hurt this team this year. We needed consistency in the back court last year as we were playing a true freshman PG, a RS freshman PG/SG, a true freshman wing, and a first year JUCO transfer. Wyatt not being there forced J-Mo to play the point a ton and not be able to play off the ball.

Spencer is a better version of Matt Bohannon. Nearly identical style of player, but Spencer came in "better".
As the season went on Juwan really started to grow. He was very inconsistent, but the raw talent is there. He reminds me a ton of Deon Mitchell, but less pudgey and quicker. Him having a Mitchell like career would be great.


Replacing J-Mo is going to be a massive undertaking, don't get me wrong. I'm not predicting an at-large team by any means. However, this year was an extreme of everything that could go wrong did go wrong and it just spiraled downhill. It was the one time I think Jake actually ran out of ideas as to what to do.

[Shockerfan13]

3 were at-large. Though a couple others probably could have been (definitely 2015).

I do think you're kindof seeing UNI is on the 4-year cycle though. Which is a great thing if there are several teams like that in a league. Got an extra bid out of the last cycle, but I don't really see the roster lining up very well for this next one. Time will tell.

I get where you're coming from. There is a cycle process to UNI's recruiting class, and imbalances. That is something that is frustrating to many UNI fans. It forces UNI to play UNI a ton of freshman every few years and creates unbalanced classes. 4 seniors (would be 5 if Wyatt didn't get his medical). There will be 1 junior next year that plays (Wyatt). There will be 6 sophomores (4 RS and 2 that played as true FR). 1 that will be a freshman (RS) and likely 2 incoming freshman.

Maybe it's my bias, but i truly think that Wyatt's injury really hurt this team this year. We needed consistency in the back court last year as we were playing a true freshman PG, a RS freshman PG/SG, a true freshman wing, and a first year JUCO transfer. Wyatt not being there forced J-Mo to play the point a ton and not be able to play off the ball.

Spencer is a better version of Matt Bohannon. Nearly identical style of player, but Spencer came in "better".
As the season went on Juwan really started to grow. He was very inconsistent, but the raw talent is there. He reminds me a ton of Deon Mitchell, but less pudgey and quicker. Him having a Mitchell like career would be great.


Replacing J-Mo is going to be a massive undertaking, don't get me wrong. I'm not predicting an at-large team by any means. However, this year was an extreme of everything that could go wrong did go wrong and it just spiraled downhill. It was the one time I think Jake actually ran out of ideas as to what to do.

You guys will be fine. I honestly expect you to take the torch more times than not. Outside of the Shox you all have been most consistent in the Valley. Jacobsen is a good coach and it doesn't seem he cares to leave. That bodes well for you all.

[Drakey]

This talk about football driving the bus is hilarious. We are talking about FCS football here, FCS. The MVC plays D1 basketball. These are two different levels. FCS football should not even be allowed in the bus.

+1. FCS Football is something that automatically sets you apart from the major conferences. There are certain schools that have figured that out. they are mostly in the big East, but there are a few others. UNI fans seem to live under the delusion that they are going to become an FBS team or that FCS matters. both seem unlikely. they drain money from what should be the focus of the Valley. UNI has paid to keep their coach, bur the fact that they had a coach of that caliber to keep is mostly just luck. I don't think any other team in the conference has intentionally hired bad coaches. SIU paid a fortune to keep their winning coach, but they were not as lucky as UNI. Bradley has made multiple attempts to hire a winning coach and have paid considerable sums of money, but without much luck lately. If any of the football powerhouses want to leave the Valley the would be fine with me. I would much rather try to rebuild the conference around schools that put basketball first and don't have the financial drain of running a scholarship football team.

[pafan]

Not ideal but think forward and let the Football schools go.

UNI and IL State to the MAC - move Toledo to the East and IL State and UNI slot into the West

SIU and MSU - to the Sun Belt

Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Loyola and IN State (drop football) try to add three of these four schools as new members /// Belmont (Nashville), UNK (Extended Cincy), Wright State (Dayton) and Valpo (Extended Chicago). Alleviates the football / basketball split. Travel is reasonable - furthest north (Loyola) / south (Belmont) / east (Wright State) / west (Drake)

Geographically makes sense.

I've heard a lot of people propose the MVC will crack up and cease to exist within a couple of years. But there's a fundamental problem: there's no where logical for the football schools to go. The MVFC is the only midwest-centered FCS conference.

I'm 99% sure SIU won't be starting up FBS football in the next 5 years, and so they won't be going to the Sun Belt any time soon. If the MVFC/MVC evaporates, they'll be hoping to join the OVC. Ditto Indiana State.

I don't forsee UNI, MSU, or IlSt going FBS in the immediate term, either. They might have the ambition, but I don't think they have the resources right now.

At least the MVFC members seem to have an incentive to keep the MVC together.

[Aargh]

Thought I already posted this, but I can't find it, so here it goes - possibly again.

It wouldn't be unthinkable for the MVFC schools to move all their sports into that league. That would make a league with a lot more common interests than there will be in the MVC.

[UEACES80]

I put as much weight in UNI being an affiliate in the MAC as I do UE being in the MAC for Swimming & Diving.

[Snaggletooth]

I put as much weight in UNI being an affiliate in the MAC as I do UE being in the MAC for Swimming & Diving.

There is 0% chance of that, because NCAA requires all your sports to reside in the conference that your basketball program is. Only football can be in a different conference.

[tribecalledquest]

I put as much weight in UNI being an affiliate in the MAC as I do UE being in the MAC for Swimming & Diving.

There is 0% chance of that, because NCAA requires all your sports to reside in the conference that your basketball program is. Only football can be in a different conference.

Not true at all. Belmont soccer plays in the Horizon. SIUE soccer plays in the Valley. Many other examples.